sinner
by be-my-guardian-angel
Summary: "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been one year since my last confession. These are my sins…" She swallowed thickly, hoping she'd manage enough courage to be able to say it out loud. "I killed my mother." Third entry for 7DOVP.


Sighing, Jade pulled back the red curtain and stepped into the confessional booth. Her mind was still reeling as she waited for Father Andrew Flannigan to acknowledge her presence so she could say what was on her mind. It wouldn't be easy, she knew, but it was better than turning herself in to the police. They'd lock her up and then where would she be? The evidence against her was overwhelming, she knew. There was no way they'd believe her alibi…

"Yes, my child?"

Jade forced herself back into the present as the priest's familiar voice hit her ears from behind the lattice screen. Exhaling shakily, she spoke in a low tone. "Good morning…I've come to confess my sins."

Although she couldn't see him, somehow she sensed he was nodding, urging her to go on. "Go ahead, dear."

Jade took a deep breath, hands trembling, as she spoke in a very quiet voice, "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been one year since my last confession. These are my sins…" She swallowed thickly, hoping she'd manage enough courage to be able to say it out loud. "I killed my mother."

There was a long pause. Jade's stomach burned with the thought of his response. By law, Catholic priests were not allowed to reveal any confessions told to them by whoever came into the booth. Would Flannigan make an exception for something as serious as death?

"Do you wish to tell me more?"

Momentarily, relief flooded Jade's body. Wringing her hands together, she tried in vain to steady her voice. "I didn't mean to kill her, honestly. It was an accident. She was yelling at me, because I'd forgotten to clean up after breakfast before leaving for school." Jade closed her eyes, sweat dotting her upper lip as the scene replayed itself in her mind.

"S-she was telling me I needed to be more responsible. I shouted something at her—I forgot what it was—and then she grabbed my arm and tried to make me do it. But I pushed her away. And she hit her head on the corner of the table…" Hanging her head, Jade felt like a 50-pound weight had been lifted from her shoulders. What would she do now? She couldn't go to the police, or her father, or her friends.

But someone would notice her mother's absence after a while.

"If you truly have a repentant heart, my daughter, then the Lord will forgive you."

_But the Lord won't keep me from being convicted of involuntary manslaughter._ She thought, thanking Flannigan quietly before exiting the booth and stepping out into the cold November's day.

* * *

><p>"Hey, is something wrong?" Beck asked his girlfriend, pausing the movie they were watching to gaze down at her. Ever since she arrived at his RV, she'd been unusually quiet and didn't object to watching X-Men, a movie he adored but she loathed. And that wasn't like the Jade West he knew.<p>

Jade nodded wordlessly, reaching over to resume the movie. Her stomach quivered slightly, sensing Beck's eyes were still on her. She didn't want to talk to him, and hoped he dropped the subject.

She wasn't religious. In fact, the only reason why she went to see Flannigan was because she knew he was sworn to secrecy. But still, she asked God to help her if he was real. She needed divine intervention right about now.

She'd hidden her mother's body in their cellar after leaving the church. Her father, Mark, was on a business trip in New York and wouldn't be back until the weekend. She checked her mom's schedule to make sure that there were no upcoming events that she was so appear at. As far as her dad was concerned, they'd had a fight before he left. There was a little to no chance that he'd call her before returning home.

_But what am I going to do when he does come home?_

_"Jade." _This time, Beck grabbed the remote and completely turned off the TV altogether. The tone in which he'd said her name was more stern this time. He was worried, and wasn't taking her silence as an answer. Silence and Jade West rarely met each other. "What's going on? And don't say 'nothing', because you're a terrible liar and we both know it."

Jade looked into her boyfriend's eyes. She trusted him, yes—that wasn't the issue. The issue was that she already knew he was going to try and force her into turning herself in. That wasn't going to be an option, no matter how much he pleaded or begged. "Something bad happened today." She said unevenly.

Beck's face softened. "Tell me about it."

Sighing, Jade rose from the bed and strode over to the mini-fridge, searching for drinks that weren't there because Beck had forgotten to go shopping. For the moment, though, it gave her a little time to prepare her response. Making up something, or at least telling a half-truth would be less intimidating, for sure. But would he believe her? "Um, it was nothing big, really...my mom and I had a huge fight. It was over something stupid, though."

Beck let out a wry laugh. "Don't you guys always fight? I'm sure it'll blow over by tomorrow."

"No, not really." She muttered under her breath, letting the door of the fridge close automatically. "Don't sweat it, though."

A beat of silence passed and then Jade gasped loudly as she felt Beck's hands on her shoulders. Any traces of a smile were gone as he stared at her. "What really happened today, Jade?"

"What? I just told you, so you can back off." She shot back in a snarky tone.

Beck sighed heavily. "Jade, you really need to realize how easy it is to tell that you're lying. You've never called her your 'mom'. It's always been 'the witch' or 'Irene'. What else happened today? Did something else happen after the fight?"

Mentally Jade cursed herself for not remembering those details. But now, there was no point in skirting around the issue. "It was an accident."

Beck's brows furrowed in confusion. "What was?"

Slowly, eyes misting over, she drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "She's dead. I killed her by accident."

* * *

><p>Jade pulled back the red curtain and stepped into the confessional booth. Smoothing out some invisible wrinkles in her jeans, she waited patiently for Father Flannigan to finish talking to someone else on the other side of the booth. Once he was done, she cleared her throat as she heard his typical opening line: "Yes, my child?"<p>

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been one month since my last confession. These are my sins…" Jade tried her best to hide the tiny smirk that touched her lips, but it didn't work very well. "I killed my father."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**If you didn't get the ending, Jade is basically a psychopathic killer, meaning her mother's death was premeditated and not an accident like she claimed. Hope you enjoyed!**


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